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77
June 10, 1882, G Oo
= SeiGOLDEN DAYS:e+ 425
Qe t : popular songs of the day—was pale and deo a thin-faced, sallow boy, with close- | He had never in his whole life been
ARCY: Why not? Her husband, like t y-cut black hair—the “Topsy” of the struck a blow in anger before. But no
t : many who lead this wandevine. @ too | play—nudged Paran, the serio- | one paid any particular attention to him,
factory lin M S wa ng, unsatis- | comic warbler, as who should say, ‘Ob, | unless, indeed, the look of half-pity cast
WHERE HE WENT, drink. He was a yin to the curse of | won’t there be a jolly row!” in his direction by Master George might
WHAT HE DID, fairchaired boy of corse, & ne looking, ‘ ou—” and then followed a | be so called.
WHO HE was. | appr with Sastr Leni entain t| hat bore erie rear Te PES aot oun Le em ed Me
———— ez s : vi near, . ony, in his ear, ‘* you have begun to put
BY FRANK H. CONVERSE, | sngetous, and then be ‘dressed. by tis | witehe wees chen Seizing the whip, | on airs already, / eh?” But Dar was
. . mother for the part of little Sets which, in his character of Legree, he was | dumb. The cruel blow seemed to have
AUTHOR OF “HaRRY HALE's Lo0-Boox,” rue | forced to imperil his life six nights of a qeoustomed, to brandish. over “ Uncle | fallen on his very heart. ‘Come here!”
STRANGE FORTUNES OF MAX PEN- week, and even worse than eae ; ‘om,’? Badger clutched Dar by the | continued the manager, roughly; and,
HUKST,” ELC., ETC. ETC 9 e 2 n that was | shoulder, and struck him a furious blow | seizing him by the shoulder, he con-
growing up, in ihe gious atmosphere | across the face and neck, leaving a livid ducted Dar toa glass at one énd of the
CHAPTER V, vicious, with temptations ‘oe ovary silo Warton the white skin. ¢ it, when) com, where, on the shelf | beneath,
It was Saturday evening, and there “You are to go on to-night. I suppose | Antony, who had Sast entered from hs . dob m ine prepared en
was a ripple of something like excite- | YOU know?” said Mr. Antony, who was | stage, caught his arm, though with evi- ints ht ag well begin to-night as any time
ment in the little seaboard town of sweeine hither and thither, Ecolding, dent apprehension. by tee to learn what's expected of you,’ said
Coverwon, especially among the younger | for it was time for the curtain to riso, and seul eee Pray dont sins pe oe | Mr. Antony. “Now, listen: As a wind-
members of its community. For on that | the audience without were growing im- had inal Te gyon't do— now,” he | up, we play ‘Uncle Tom's Cabin.’ Black
evening, according to certain flaring | patient. ° ed in a lower tone, your face, neck and hands with
posters, which had adorned every blank f or go on, sir!” exclaimed Dar, roused this! Tindicating the Ppa
28 i jeinity: rom his i “ ” i “ _
wall and fence in the vicinity: te not prepared I can’t, possibly. put on these”"—point-
“ANTONY’S COMBINATION, “Pr 1 . ing toa pair of wide-
The most elevating and refined traveling | of Me te Lm echoed {he rough oe “atriped trowsers
organization on the face of the globe, hay- | «you ‘ean sing, S close by. |
ing just returned from their annual tour in ou can sing and play the violin, I
‘arope, etc., etc., ete., have kindly con- | Suppose?—at least Antony here says
senteil, by spectal Teques to present to the you can. Isn’t that enough ?”’
people of Coverton, in Gonjunction with “But my clothes,” expostulated Dar,
their spar! rray of untivaled tal cine ut his 2 : +f,
ahe bighly-moval ' Tray Ottruotive drame of | 0oking at his Shabby garments.
Uncie Tom’s Casin!” 1
In‘ the largest of the two
dressing-rooms, in the town
hall, where all kinds of enter-
tainments were “An
tony’s Combination” had as-
sembled in full force, awaiting
the coming of the proprietor
and manager, for the train was
late—a not uncommon circum-
stance—and_ nothing could
done till Mr. Antony’s arrival,
he uniting with the duty of
Stage manager that also of one
of the characters in the play.
“Here he is at last,” growled
Mr. Badger, one of the variety
performers, whose specialty
was feats of strength, and who
also took the part of Legree,
the slave-driver, in the play—a
character, let me say in “pass-
ing, which was in strict accord }
with the man’s brutal nature
and fiendish face.
Every one in the company
stood in fear of him, even to
Mr. Antony, who allowed him
full license in arranging the
details of the play, which itself
was introduced simply to give i
a ‘moral’ tone to the enter- i
tainment. . ‘
Just as very good people, with
scruples against the circus, i |
oftentimes attend to ‘please j
the children,” when a men- i
agerie accompanies it, so many
attended ‘* Antony’s Combina- .
tion ’—which was a sort of va- '
riety show — who would not ' ye
have gone had the “moral ; .
play ” not been a part of it. : .
“It's high time, I should ; t
think,” snapped Mrs. Antony : t
—a vixenish woman of forty, *
or thereabouts, who took the
art of Miss Ophelia—as her ‘
usband greeted her hurriedly. i
“Now, then, it’s time to co
dress,’’ he said, in asharp tone, :
and the ladies, who were all :
wives of the different perform- ‘
ers, went into their own room, i
while Dar, with his violin in it] .
its baize jacket under his arm, i
stood in the middle of the |
apartment, for the moment tn- . ‘
noticed in the bustle which :
followed, looking about him = = = :
siaking boacompanions with a SUNDAY AT COVERTON—‘ DEAR OLD FRIEND,” SAID DAR, AS HE DREW THE BOW OVER THE RESPONDENT STRINGS. 7 \
I say wi inking heart, :
simply with sinking | ho behind “Oh, ll rig you out,” returned Bad- The stamping of impatient feet and | anda wonderful check shirt, with high, ‘
the scenes of Antony’sCombination were | ger, grimly; “so you needn’t inake any | shrill whistles from the assembled audi- | pointed collar—“then, when Badger :
so different from what he had faintly.| more talk. I want to see what you're | ence, in the hall, together with Mr, An- | gives the order, take your violin and go ‘
hoped night be the case. good for in the start. We don’t want | tony’s nervous interference, perhaps re- | on with the last song vou sung on board
“Tt is no better than a circus troupe,” | any loafers or beats in this concern, and | called r. Badger to a remembrance | the steamer—* Old Folks at Home ’—d’ye “s i ‘
be thought to himself, don’t you forget it!”” . that it was time for him to goonin the | hear?” . | ji.
On oné side, Siznor Corelli—an athletic The coarse address and bullying man- first act, consisting principally of heav. Dar intimated bya slight motion of t
young man. who was the George Harris | ner were so different from anything Dar | club-swinging, and the feats of strength | his head that he heard, but no word es-
ofthe’ lay—-was donning the silk flesh- | had ever encountered that his temper for which he was fatnous. s . caped his lips. :
. ings of a professional athlete; and, for a| rose at once. . | I'll let you go off this once, he said, “Sulky, eh?” remarked Mr. Antony, i
person with such an undoubtedly Italian “T supposed that I had engaged with | dropping the whip, and Dar’s arm at the | with ascowl. ‘Well, I wouldn’t advise :
name, Signor Corelli bore a strong re-| Mr. Antony, not with you, sir!’ he an- | same time; but look out for yourself | you to try that on with Badger; he’s not an !
semblance, in face and accent, to ari | swered, with more heat than judgment. | another time ! . 80 easy-going & man as I am,” } :
Trishinan. | , Badger, who was tightening his waist- | __ h which warning, he bounded Still no reply, and with a scowl, Me sad :
Mr. St. Clair was buckling on a pair of | belt, glared ‘at him in stupetied wrath | lightly through the door, and in another | Antony turned away to other duties, :
\elogs. He was a strikingly-handsome | for an instant, while all in the room held } moment the sound of applauding hands | leaving Dar, in his uncouth rig and dis- i
mak while ‘his wife. iW the opposite | their breath. ; and feet showed that he was making his | figured face, sitting on the edge of a i
room — who took the part of Mrs. St. Resistance to this tyrant’s will was | smiling bow to the audience, trunk, violin in hand, staring Speech~ ' i ‘
Clair, and sang tho better class of the | something entirely new, and Master! Dar looked about him as if stupefied. | lessly at nothing, hearing nothing but L ! Fy
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